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The Harrisburg High School soccer teams kicked off their seasons in the summer with practices beginning in early August. At Harrisburg High School, there is a boys’ Varsity and Junior Varsity and a girls’ Varsity and Junior Varsity. As the seasons concluded, the coaches shared some of their insight and goals. Desiree Parmenter, the girls’ head coach remarked that her goal for the season was to make it to playoffs; Brendan Shultz, the boys’ head coach, expressed that his goals were “to keep building on our defense while trying to increase our offense... A big team goal for this year was to get a win. The goal every season is always to develop players and make them better.” Both teams practiced tirelessly to improve.

Both the boys’ and girls’ seasons, which finished its 14 matches, was enjoyable for all involved. As mentioned, the team could not be the same without their coaches. Parmenter has been the head coach for HHS girls’ soccer for three years and assistant for one. She said her favorite part of coaching “is teaching the connections between sports and real-life skills.” Since Parmenter intended to put focus on personal connections, the girls’ team has started recognizing a ‘Player of the Game’ before each home game. She describes it as “a player within our soccer district that gets recognized with the team. The player receives a customized jersey and a soccer ball signed by the team.” This practice, designed to both unite the team and acknowledge specific members, has been a great way to help the team bond. The girls in the HHS team are close and work together well. Their season finished 3-9-2. Shultz explained that his favorite part of coaching includes “the journey of developing players to come together as a team to reach their goals and win soccer matches.” It is Shultz’s second season with the boys’ teams, which is a very young team in the conference. They finished their season 1-13-0.

According to all accounts, the teams are strong, united groups who plan to improve every year. Anyone who wishes to learn more about the soccer teams next year can follow the teams on Twitter (@hhsgirlsoccer) (@hbergboyssoccer) and Instagram (@hhsgirlsoccer).